Acoustical toy railroad station



'Feb.f23, 1943. w. R..sMlT|-| 2,31;1,882v

ACOUSTICAL TOY RAILROAD STATION Original Filed April 21, 1939 2Sheets-Sheet l Feb. Z3, 1943. W. R. SMITH l ACOUSTICAL TOY RAILROADSTATION 1 Filed April 21, 19:59 2 sheds-sheet 2 Origine.

INVENTOR TTORNEY Patented Feb. 23, 1943 ACOUSTICAL 'IOY RAILROADISTATION William R. Smith, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor to vThe A. C.Gilbert Company, New Haven; Conn., a corporation of Maryland Original.-application April 21, 1939, Serial No. 269,185, now Patent No.2,247,418, dated July 1, 1941. Divided and this application September 9,1939, Serial No. 294,109

9 Claims. (Cl. 274-15) This invention relates to an acoustical toyrailroad station or depot in which a phonograph .completes a cycle ofsound reproducing action, then automatically terminates its productionof sound and reconditions itself for repeating the same cycle of actionwhen such cycle is next begun. The invention further relates toparticular constructions and arrangements of apparatus comprising thesound reproducing -phonograph. This application is divisional from mycopending application Serial No. 269,185, led April 21, 1939, which haseventuated in Patent No. 2,247,418, granted July l, 1941.

One object of the invention is to conceal within the housing structureof a yconventional toy railway station or depot all of the apparatusnecessary for producing sound effects yrealistically imitative of thenoises associated with the stopping and starting ,of a steam locomotiveand of the familiar shouted announcements of an imaginary station agentregarding the destination and way stations of a toy train which pausesin front of the station during such announcements.

A further object is to provide a system of electro-mechanical agentsadapted to carry through a cycle of sequential electrically controlledacoustical effects and then automatically terminate its own action.

A further object is to make use of a shallow toy station platformstructure for housing a disc type of phonograph record which recordconsequently may be of such large diameter that the area of its surfacewhich carries `the sound track considerably exceeds the floor area ofthe station house or superstructure mounted on such platform.

A still further object is to providea simplified self-repeatingreproducer for playing a phonograph record to Aproduce these particularsound effects, or in connection with phonographic reproduction for anypurpose whatever.

The foregoing and related objects of the invention will become :clearfrom the following description of the details of a preferred embodimentthereof, in which description reference is had to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a toy railway station or depot such as thatmore -fully illustrated in my aforesaid patent,'the roof being brokenaway to expose the sound producing apparatus contained therein and theoor partition also being lbroken away to expose portions of Aa`phonograph record therebelow.

Fig. 2 isa front elevation of saidl apparatus and phonograph recordexposed Iby breaking away `portions of the surrounding side walls of thestation buildingand platform; the reproducer needle being raised fromthe record.

Fig. r3 isa fragmentary view of the apparatus of Fig. 2 showing thereproducer needle lowered into playing position on the record and tiltedto a diierent position.

Fig. 4 is al fragmentary plan view of the 'parts positioned as in Fig.3.

Fig. 5 isa View taken in section on the planes 5 5--5-5 in Fig. 1looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 6 is a View taken in section on the plane 6-6 in Fig. 1, looking inthe .direction of the arrows.

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic view of the electromechanical Acycle controllerand its circuit connections.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary view taken in section on the plane `8 8 in Fig.1.

The sound producing apparatus .of the present improvements is located`partly within the toy station building I0 and ypartly withinthe hollowstation'platform II. Upon the iloorpartition I2 of the combinedstationand :platform structure and within the walls I3 of the toystationlbuilding there is mounted -any suitable electric `motor I4. Toprevent the motor humor vibration from beingrmagnified iby the sheetmetal of the station structure, pads I5 Vof vsoft rubber or likevibration dampening material may be squeezed between the motor feet 20vand the floor partition I2 by mounting screws L6. The ,motor shaftfIlhas worm threads I 8 cut upon it.

A vertical shaft I9 has itstop bearing in the flange 2 I of anupstanding bracket-.x22 whose oppositely turned bottom allge issecured'to the floor I2 by screws 24. Shaft I9 is given 'additionalbearing where it .passesthroughthe `floor partition I2 and it projectstherebelow torreceive the nut 26 on the threadedwterminal ofalower endportion ofthe shaft having a reduceddiameter to produce vthe shoulder 25. A `shouldered collar 28 is carried on the Areducedpor'ti'on of shaftI9 and seatsagainst the shoulder A25, the smaller diameter of whichcollar fitsfthe central aperture vina disc phonograph record 29 which iscentralized thereby and clamped against the top ange of the collar-.byaplate-like turntable 21 forced upwardly by the nut 2,6. Shaft I9.carries fixedv thereon the Vworm wheel 3| which is-spaced slightlyaboveV the bracliel'glnge 2| .by a thrust washer 30 and which is,,inmesh with and driven by theworrnthreadslpf the :motor shaft t1.Between itsk topvancll bottom bearings,

shaft I9 has the worm threads 32 cut thereon.

The upstanding wall of bracket 22 affords bearing for one end of ahorizontal cam shaft 33 whose opposite end is journaled in an upstandingbracket 34 secured to the floor partition I2 by the screw 35. A wormwheel 31 is fixed to shaft 33 and meshes with the threads 32 on theshaft I9. Worm wheel 31 is separated from bracket 22 by a thrust washer36. Fixed to shaft 33 is the cam cylinder 38 having in axially displacedrelationship a mechanical actuating hump 39, and an indented recess 43cooperative with a spring leaf type of electric contact 44.

Contact 44 is mounted on a block 46 of electrical insulative materialsecured to the oor partition I2 and adapted to serve as a terminalbinding post base for the convenient connection and inter-connection ofcertain conductors more fully identied in Fig. 7. Two binding postsprovided for this purpose are numbered respectively 49 and 50. Bindingpost 49 is in electrical contact with, and if desired may serve tosecure, leaf contact 44 to the insulative block 46. Except as connectedby lead wires or to ground, it will be understood that each of bindingposts 49 and 50, is electrically insulated from the other and from allother metallic parts of the apparatus.

Situated at the right of the foregoing described apparatus in Figs. 2and 3 are two widely spaced upstanding brackets 52 and 53, each securedto the oor partition I2 by screws 54. Spanning the space betweenbrackets 52 and 53 and journaled therein by means of its trunnions 55 isa sound reproducer 56 which may be of generally cylindrical or disc-likeshape and preferably provided with a weight offset on the left side ofthe axis of its trunnion 55 in the form of the projecting body 58.Reproducer 56 may constitute any of the well known forms of devices forproducing by means of a contained diaphragm audible vibrationsresponsive to vibrations irnparted to its downwardly extending needle 59by the sound track 6U on the top surface of record 29. Needle 59 reachesthe record by extending downwardly through an aperture 51 in oor rangedat a height normally permitting the needle to track upon the record.

The bearing for the reproducer trunnion in the front bracket 53 maycomprise a vertically elongated slot 6I opening through the top edge ofthe bracket, while the bearing for the other trunnion in the rearbracket 52, although it may be a closed hole, will preferably permitenough play of that trunnion to allow the front trunnion to rise andfall in the slot 6I a suicient distance to on occasion lift the needle59 from the record and later restore it into playing contact therewith.For so lifting the front trunnion, a bell crank lever 62 is pivoted tobracket 53 at 63 so that its lower or follower end 64 may swing into andout of the path of the cam hump 39. When forced by this hump to swingcounter-clockwise about pivot 63, the upper end of lever 62 will camunder the trunnion 55 and lift it suiciently to remove the needle 59from engagement with the record. If desired, any of the now common formsof electrical pickup heads may be substituted for the mechanical soundreproducer 56.

The operation will be described with particular reference to theelectro-mechanical diagram of Fig. 7 in which certain structural partsare designated by the same reference characters as in other gures of thedrawings. The normal condition of the apparatus within the station isthat shown in Figs. 5 and 7 in which the sound reproducer needle 59 isresting on the sound track of record 29, electrical contact is brokenbetween 44 and 38 because of recess 43. The self-opening switch 10 maybe temporarily closed manually or by the arrival of a train at apredetermined point along the track. The heavy single lines in Fig. 7indicate electrical conductors as follows. Conductors |03 connect oneside of a battery 99, or other source of electrical power such as a toytransformer, to one terminal of switch 18 and also with the rotating camcylinder 38 or any part in a ground circuit therewith Conductor |65connects the other terminal of switch 10 with binding post 49 and hencewith leaf contact 44. Still another conductor I 06 connects binding post49 with one terminal of an electric motor I4. Still another conductorIUI connects the other terminal of motor I4 with the battery,transformer or other source of power 99.

Through the circuits formed by these conductors connected as described,the rst effect of closing switch 10 is to complete the circuit 99-I03--I05-I06--I4-IOI. This energizes the motor I4 which instantly,through worm I8, worm wheel 3|, shaft I9, worm 32, Worm wheel 31, andshaft 33, starts to rotate cam cylinder 38 counter-clockwise in Figs. 5and '1. At the same time, the turning of said shaft I9 rotates the turntable 21 at usual turn table speed together with the disc phonographrecord 29 carried thereon. Almost at the instant cylinder 38 begins torotate, recess 43 is removed from register with the free end of leafcontact 44 so that the latter is contacted and wiped by the periphery ofthe cam cylinder, the latter being of good electrical conductivematerial. This sets up and maintains for the duration of a predeterminedautomatic cycle of operations (represented by one complete revolution ofcam cylinder 38) the following additional electric circuit 99--I03-38-44-49-I06-I4-IOI. Hence when switch 10 is manually or otherwisereleased and permitted to open, current continues to be supplied tomotor I4 throughout said automatic cycle of operations.

Sound reproduction is thus begun and continues while needle 59 trackstoward the left from its position in Fig. 5 to its position in Fig. 3 asmotor I4 continues to rotate cylinder 38 counter-clockwise. Whencylinder 38 is nearing the completion of a full revolution, the cam hump39 swings lever 62 counter-clockwise which lifts the front trunnion inits bearing slot 6I tilts the axis of the trunnions and raises it fromthe position shown in Fig. 3 and by broken lines in Fig. 6, to aposition free and clear of the sound track as shown by full lines inFig. 6. Thereupon the reproducer head 56 is swung smartlycounter-clockwise by the force of its oiset weight 58 and to an extentlimited by the stop 5I as shown in Fig. 2. A further small degree ofrotation of the cam cylinder 38 counter-clockwise causes the hump 39 topass the follower end 64 of lever 62 so that the latter is permitted toreturn to its position shown in Fig. 5 whereby the needle is loweredagain into engagement with the beginning or radially outer portion ofsound track on the record ready to repeat its cycle of soundreproduction. When switch 1U is next `able disc record having a soundtrack on one at closed theA automatically terminated cycle of phonographplaying will be repeated.

Ifl the recess 43 is omitted from cylinder 3B there will be no automaticstopping of the latter and it will be rotated continuously by motor I4whereupon the record will be played over and over automatically, thusperpetually repeating reproduction of all sound recorded thereon so longas motor I4 is operating. In this proposed modification, switch may beleft permanently closed or is not needed.

Departures from the particular details of apparatus and electriccircuits herein disclosed and many possible substitutes therefor willoccur to those skilled in the art. The appended claims arev intended tocover all such substitutes and equivalents which fall fairly within thescope of their terms.

I claim:

1. A composite toy railroad depot and contained sound emittingapparatus, embodying the combination with a rotatably supportedphonographic disc record, of a motor, a reproducer, a hollow toy depotplatform too shallow to house said motor and reproducer but housing saidrecord, a hollow toy depot building superimposed on said platform havinga oor area too small to house said record but housing said motor andreproducer, connections extending from said motor in said toy buildingto said record in said toy platform constructed and arranged to transmitrotary drive from said motor to said record, and additional connectionsextending from said reproducer in said toy building to said record insaid toy platform constructed and arranged to track on said record, bywhich arrangement the portions of said apparatus whose generaldimensions accord with the conventional proportions of a depot buildingand a depot platform respectively are housed respectively by said toybuilding and toy platform in a manner to conceal and camouage all ofsaid apparatus within a composite depot building and platform ofconventional toy size and appearance.

2. An acoustical toy railway depot embodying in combination, a hollowdepotl platform and a superimposed hollow toy depot building separatedby an apertured floor-like partition, an apertured phonographic discrecord, a turntable constructed and disposed to support said record forrotation in a plane parallel to and beneath said partition, a motorsupported above said partition within said depot building, a verticalshaft connected to be driven by said motor and eX- tending downwardthrough said partition and through the aperture in said record andconnected to support and rotate said turntable at its lower end, a soundreproducer supported within said depot building above said partition,and means extending downward from said reproducer past the plane of saidpartition in a manner to reach and track on said record for transmittingsound producing oscillation from the record to the reproducer.

3. An acoustical toy railway depot as defined in claim 2, in which thesaid sound reproducer includes a body portion pivotally supported withinthe said depot building above the said floorlike partition, and the saidmeans comprises a pick-up needle carried by said reproducer body andextending downward from the interior of said depot building to theinterior of the said depot platform through an aperture in saidpartition.

4. In a phonograph, in combination, a rotatface thereof, a soundreproducer' having a record tracking needle, and meanspivotallysupporting said reproducer including trunnions fixed to and projectinglaterally from said reproducer together with support Walls flanking saidreproducerv affording bearing seats on opposite sides of the latterrespectively occupied by and loosely iitting said trunnions, at leastone of said seats being vertically elongated to permit and guide up anddown movement of at least one of said trunnions,` whereby said needlemay on one occasion swing crosswise of said sound track in an arc ofpendulum-like travel about a pivotal axis and on another occasion trackon said record in a translatory path of travel.

5. In a phonograph for playing a rotatable record having a sound track,"resettable reproducer operating mechanism including the combinatioriwith a sound reproducer having a record tracking needle, of meanspivotally supporting said reproducer in a manner enabling said needle toswing crosswise of said sound track in an arc of a pendulum-like travelabout a pivotal axis, said supporting means including structureproviding suicient freedom for said reproducer to permit up and downmovement of said reproducer and of its said pivotal axis, thereby toenable said needle to track on said record in a translatory path oftravel together with means urging said needle to swing crosswise of saidsound track with a force sufficiently light to be overcome by the soundproducing tracking of said needle upon said record while the latter isbeing rotated, and mechanism operatively related to said reproducer in amanner to raise the latter and its said pivotal axis sufliciently tolift said needle out of engagement with said sound track and permit saidreproducer to be swung freely by said means.

6. Phonographic apparatus particularly suited for housing andconcealment by the hollow structure of a conventional toy railway depot,embodying in combination, a horizontally disposed turntable forsupporting a disc record, means to support said turntable for rotationincluding a bearing frame bridging over the space occupied by saidturntable, power mechanism including a motor for rotating said turntablesupported over the latter by said frame, a reproducer constructed andarranged to track on the record and supported over said turntable bysaid frame, and mechanical connections motivated by said mechanism andoperative to shift said reproducer and supported over said turntable bysaid frame.

'7. Phonographic and electric current controlling apparatus particularlysuited for housing and concealment by the hollow structure of aconventional toy railway depot, embodying in combination, a horizontallydisposed turntable for supporting a disc record, means to support saidturntable for rotation including a bearing frame constructed andarranged to bridge over the space occupied by said turntable, powermechanism including a motor for rotating said turntable supported overthe latter by said frame, a reproducer constructed and arranged to trackon the record and supported over said turntable by said frame, andmechanical connections motivated by said mechanism and operative toshift said reproducer and also supported over said turntable by saidframe, together with an electrical controller for governing said motorconnected to be mechanically operated by the latter and also supportedover said turntable by said frame.

8. Phonographic apparatus particularly suited for housing andconcealment by the hollow structure of a conventional toy railway depot,embodying in combination, a horizontally disposed turntable, a centrallyapertured disc record carried on said turntable, means to support saidturntable for rotation including a bearing frame constructed andarranged to bridge over the space occupied by said turntable, powermechanism including a motor for rotating said turntable supported oversaid record bysaid frame, a drive shaft journaled in said frame andpassing downward through the aperture in said record and connecting withsaid turntable therebelow, a reproducer constructed and arranged totrack on said record and supported thereover by said frame, andmechanical connections motivated by said mechanism and operative toshift said reproducer also supported over said record by said frame.

9. An acoustical toy railway depot embodying in combination, a hollowtoy depot platform and a superimposed hollow toy depot building, anapertured floor-like partition horizontally disposed between therespective interiors of said platform andv building, a phonographic discrecord supported to rotate within said platform interior beneath saidpartition, a motor supported above said partition within said buildinginterior, means extending through said partition for transmittingmovement from said motor to said record, a sound reproducer supportedwithin said building interior above said partition and means extendingfrom said reproducer past said partition, in a manner to reach and trackon said record for transmitting sound producing oscillations from thelatter to said reproducer. 4

WILLIAM R. SMITH.

